Israel

Israel

Right	Section	Contents
Freedom of Association	History	While freedom of association is not explicitly outlined in the Israeli Constitution, the addendum Basic Law: Human Dignity and Liberty of 1992 outlines the fundamental freedoms of life, dignity, and protection afforded to all people (Basic Law: Human Dignity and Liberty, 1992). "[Basic Law: Human Dignity and Liberty]," [Basic Law: Human Dignity and Liberty] (1992): 150-150
Freedom of Expression	History	Israel is one of the few countries in the world that lacks an official written constitution. Multiple attempts have been made as early as 1948 but none have successfully drafted and implemented a formal constitution. Instead, Israeli leaders enacted several pieces of legislation known as the Basic Laws, or Knessets, eleven of which have passed. This has led to multiple changes in “constitutional” legislature from the first Knesset in 1958 to the final two Basic Laws enacted in 1992. Interestingly enough, the Basic Laws that were typically considered to hold constitutional weight, weren’t formally entrenched as laws that supersede common legislature until 1995(2020). Under these Basic Laws, there is no official guarantee of the protection of freedom of expression. Instead, the Israeli Supreme Court has largely dictated the extent of the right to freedom of expression (Levush, 2019). In Alan Levi And Yaheli Amit v. Southern District Police Commander (1984), the Supreme Court ruled that “The right of demonstration and procession is a fundamental human right in Israel. It is recognized along with free speech, or emanating therefrom - as belonging to the freedoms that characterize Israel as a democratic state.” However, there are limitations on the freedom of expression should any acts of expression “that constitutes incitement for racism, terrorism and violence; outrage to religious feelings; publication of false news causing fear and alarm; as well as expression of denial of the holocaust and praise for atrocities committed by the Nazis.” (Levush, 2019) Insults to public servants are also punishable by law and result in imprisonment for six months. Furthermore, it is expected that courts balance competing interests when discerning the extent to which the freedom of expression encroaches on other rights that embody the Israeli state(Levush, 2019). Sources: 2020. Knesset.gov.il. 2020. https://knesset.gov.il/constitution/ConstIntro_eng.htm. Levush, Ruth. 2019. “Limits on Freedom of Expression.” Maint.loc.gov. June 1, 2019. https://maint.loc.gov/law/help/freedom-expression/israel.php. “Israel 1958 (Rev. 2013) Constitution - Constitute.” n.d. Www.constituteproject.org. https://www.constituteproject.org/constitution/Israel_2013. Alevi, Alan, Yaheli Amit, Alan Levi, and D Levin. n.d. “393 Police Ordinance (New Version), 1971, Sections 83, 84 Press Ordinance.” Southern District Police Commander 1 P.D 38, no. 2: 1214. Accessed June 7, 2024. https://versa.cardozo.yu.edu/sites/default/files/upload/opinions/Levi%20v.%2 Southern%20District%20Police%20Commander_0.pdf.
Freedom of Religion	History	Freedom of religion is established in the 1992 Basic Law: Human Dignity and Liberty. This law describes Israel as a “Jewish and democratic state”, but also “references the Declaration of the Establishment of the State of Israel, which protects freedom to practice or not practice religious beliefs, including freedom of conscience, faith, religion, and worship, regardless of an individual’s religion” (state.gov). The Declaration of the Establishment of the State of Israel, promulgated in 1948, stated: "THE STATE OF ISRAEL will be open for Jewish immigration and for the Ingathering of the Exiles; it will foster the development of the country for the benefit of all its inhabitants; it will be based on freedom, justice and peace as envisaged by the prophets of Israel; it will ensure complete equality of social and political rights to all its inhabitants irrespective of religion, race or sex; it will guarantee freedom of religion, conscience, language, education and culture; it will safeguard the Holy Places of all religions; and it will be faithful to the principles of the Charter of the United Nations." "Declaration of the Establishment of the State of Israel: https://www.gov.il/en/departments/general/declaration-of-establishment-state-of-israel Israel, West Bank and Gaza - United States Department of State. Accessed July 21, 2023. https://www.state.gov/reports/2021-report-on-international-religious-freedom/israel-west-bank-and-gaza/.
Freedom of the Press	History	Israel has no formal protections on freedom of the press in their Basic Law and according to Freedom House, “the Knesset consistently refuses to pass legislation that would incorporate it into the Basic Laws.” However, the Israeli Supreme Court has “affirmed that freedom of expression is an essential component of human dignity” and has issued rulings protecting press freedom as a foundational principle of Israel’s Declaration of Independence (Freedom House, “Freedom of the Press 2017 – Israel”).
Privacy Rights	History	Privacy rights in Israel derive from the Basic Law Human Liberty and Dignity of 1992. In this law, Article 7 protects privacy, intimacy, private premises, and confidential communications (Constitute Project, “Israel 1953 rev. 2013” ). https://constituteproject.org/constitution/Israel_ 2013? lang=en
Voting Rights and Suffrage	History	Under Article 5, all Israeli Nationals over the age of 18 have the right to vote in elections to the Knesset, unless a court has deprived them of that right. (Constitute Project, “Israel’s Constitution of 1958 with Amendments through 2019” ).